Bag sealing device



Ma'y 3, 1'955 H. 1 c. wENK, JR

BAG SEALING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1953 1N V EN TOR. gyz. afn@ e217 United States atent O BAG SEALllNG DEVICE Henry L. C. Weak, Jr., Garden City, N. Y., assigner to American Casting da Mf'r. Corporation, a corporation of New York Application .Enne S, 1953, Serial No. 359,929

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-425) This invention relates to improvements in bag seals of the type provided with a deformable lead seal body to engage and secure a tie cord arranged to encircle the gathered neck of a bag so as to ciose the mouth of the same against unauthorized access to the bag content; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to iniprovements in the specilic kind of bag seal of this type disclosed in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 2,140,777.

In my prior United States Patent No. 2,140,777 is shown a bag seal in which a tie cord extends through a deformable seal body so as to form constrictive bag neck encircling loops in extension from the inner end of said seal body, portions of said loops being disposed to extend from the seal body axialiy through the interior of a compressible spring sleeve of inverted conical shape, which is disposed between the seal body and the closed and constricted neck of the bag to which the seal is applied, with other portions of said loops extending exteriorly of saidspring sleeve. ln the proper and effective use of this kind of seal, the small end of the inverted conical spring sleeve is required to be disposed to abut the inner end of the seal body, while its large end is disposed in opposition to and so as to abut the constricted bag neck encircled by the loops of the tie cord. The bag seal so characterized has been found to be very satisfactory in use when properly applied, but has involved an objectionable characteristic, viz. that in the handling of loose seals prior to application thereof to a bag to be sealed thereby, the spring sleeve was free to slide around the loops of the tie cord so as to become reversed thereon. This required each seal to be inspected before use so that a reversed spring sleeve could be returned to proper position relative to the seal body, for should the seal be inadvertently applied to a bag with the spring sleeve reversed, a secure assembly of the seal in operation relation to the bag would not be assured, and the seal had to be removed from the bag and replaced by a properly conditioned seal.

Having the above in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a seal of the kind stated with an improved formation of spring sleeve so constructed that when the same is assembled on the tie cord loops of the seal, it engages all the legs of said loops in such manner as to preclude sliding around of said sleeve on the loops into a reversed position relative to the seal body from which the loops extend.

The invention has for another object to provide, in combination with the seal body and looped tie cords of a seal, a non-reversible spring sleeve which, in use, will retain the loops of the tie cord encircling a bag neck under strong restrictive tension, whereby said loops can not be stretched, loosened or shifted along or oft' the bag neck, while nevertheless so supporting the tie cord that access thereto for cutting the same, without risk of gashing the bag, is provided for when unsealing the bag.

The above and other objects will be understood from a reading of the following detailed description of this cli 2,707,647 Patented May 3', 1955 rice invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side view of a bag closed and sealed by the operative application thereto of a seal made according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a face view of the novel seal structure per se; Fig. 3 is a horizontal crosssectional View, taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal cross-sectional View, taken on line 4 4 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the sealed neck of a bag, showing the spring sleeve in longitudinal section but the deformed seal body in elevation.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 10 indicates a seal body, which is ordinarily made of lead or like relatively soft and easily deformable metal capable of being crushed and corrugated so as to immovably aiix the same to the tie cord of the seal device. Initially formed in said seal body 10 are laterally spaced apart, longitudinally extending tie cord receiving passages or openings, usually comprising a pair of inner passages 11 and a pair of outer passages 12.

Associated with the inner or bag opposed end of the seal body 10, to extend longitudinally and axially therefrom, is a compression spring sleeve formed by helically convolved spring wire. This spring sleeve comprises a cylindrical inner end portion provided by a plurality of convolutions 13 or minor diameter and an outer end portion provided by at least one convolution 14 of enlarged or major diameter, said outer convolution 14 being joined with the inner convolutions by a connecting convolute portion 15 leading from the latter to the former. By such formation of the spring sleeve, the outwardly offset disposition of the outer convolution 14 relative to the inner convolutions 13 provides, at the outer end of said spring sleeve, external tie cord passage 16 intermediate said outer and inner convolutions, which space 16 is bridged by the connecting convolute portion 15. The interior of the inner convolutions 13 provides an internal tie cord passage 17 which is endwise open in axial extension through the spring sleeve.

The inner end portion of the spring sleeve, which is of minor diameter, abuts the inner end of the seal body 10, while the outer end portion of said spring sleeve, which is of major diameter, is, when the seal is in use, adapted to abut the gathered and closed neck of a bag desired to be sealed.

Operatively assembled with the seal body 1t) and with said spring sleeve is a tie cord arranged to provide a pair of connected bag neck encircling loops 18 and 19, the respective inner branches of which are formed by free end portions 20 and 21 of said tie cord. These inner branches 2t) and 21 extend through the internal tie cord passage 17 of the spring sleeve, and thence respectively through respective inner passages 11 of the seal body 10 to project freely from the outer end of said seal body. The outer branches 22 and 23 of the tie cord loops 18 and 19 pass'through the external tie cord passage 16 of the spring sleeve, thence along the exterior sides of the inner convolutions 13 of the spring sleeve, and thence respectively through respective outer passages 12 of the seal body, being connected by a bight 24 which extends between the outer ends of said passages 12 and across the outer end of the seal body 10.

By reason of the enclosure of the outer branches 22 and 23 of the cord loops 18 and 19 within the embrace of the outer convolution 14 of the spring sleeve, so as to be disposed between said outer convolution and an adjacent inner convolution 13, if the spring sleeve slides outwardly on the inner branches 20 and 21 of said loops aroma? to the bights thereof, it can not pass around and beyond said bights, for the reason that the tie cord branches 22 and 23 become snubbed and bound between said outer and inner convolutions, and consequently the spring sleeve is prevented from turning end over end and sliding down the outer branches 22 and 23 of the tie cord loops back to the seal body in a reversed inoperative relation to the latter. The spring sleeve being thus stopped against passing around the bights of the tie cord loops, and thereby prevented from reversing its position, the inner convolutions 13 thereof can not pass otl or beyond the inner branches 20 and 21 of the loops, and therefore the spring sleeve can be easily slid back along the latter to its normally disposed operative relation to the seal body 1i). By reason of this, loose seals cannot become disorganized so as to risk improper application thereof to bags when put to use.

To prevent rotation of the spring sleeve about its longitudinal axis and relative to tie cord portions extending therethrough, with risk of outer tie cord portions moving from the outer passage 16 into the inner passage 17, and, conversely, to prevent inner tie cord portions moving from the inner passage 17 into the outer passage 16, an interior part of the connecting convolution 15 substantially closes against an adjacent inner convolution 13, and an exterior part thereof closes against the outer convolution 14, thus blocking communication between said inner and outer passages 16 and 17.

To operatively apply the seal of this invention to a bag E, the mouth of the latter is gathered and constrieted to form a closure neck N. When the bag is thus closed, the loops 18 and 19 of the seal tie cord are engaged over the bag neck N so as to encircle the same, with the outer convolution 14 of major diameter abutting the side of said neck N. After the tie cord loops are thus positioned around the bag neck, the inner tie cord branches 20 and 21 are pulled outwardly through and from the seal body 10, thus constricting the loops 18 and 19 tightly about the bag neck, and at the same time compressing the spring sleeve so as close up the convolutions thereof and thus place said spring sleeve under strong tensional contraction (see Figs. 1 and 5). When the seal is thus operatively applied to the bag neck, the seal body 1i) is submitted to the action of a suitable deforming press or stamp, by means of which the metal thereof is suitably compressed and crimped or corrugated to thereby tightly squeeze closed the openings 11 and 12 of said seal body so that the metal thereof grips and binds the sections of the tie cord extending therethrough against movement relative to thc seal body, thereby effectively preventing any tampering manipulation of the seal body with intent to release its grip upon the tie cord.

Owing to the compression of the spring sleeve intermediate thc bag neck N and the deformed seal body 10, a strong tensional stress is exerted upon the bag neck encircling loops of the tie cord, by reason of which stretching, loosening or shifting of said loops relative to the bag neck is prevented. Furthermore, both stretch and contraction of the tie cord, due to changes in atmospheric or like conditions to which it may be exposed, is eiciently compensated by the tensional stress of the spring sleeve as operatively interposed between the bag neck and the seal body.

When it is desired that the bag be opened under authorized conditions, the authorized operator may do so by severing the tie cord. This is done by cutting through those portions of the tie cord branches 22 and 23 which extend between the outer convolution 14 of the spring sleeve and the inner end of the seal body 10, and which lie exteriorly of the inner convolutions 13 ot said spring sleeve. The underlying convolutions 13 of the spring sleeve, during such severing of the tie cord. being interposed between portions of the tie cord to be cut and the bag neck N, prevents the cutting instrumentality from reaching the bag material, so that accidental cutting or gashing of said bag material is eectively avoided.

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Once the tie cord branches are severed, the spring sleeve is free to expand, and by its expansion aids in parting and loosening the tie cord loops from the bag neck, so that the seal can be quickly removed and thereupon the bag can be opened to give access to its content.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

l. A bag seal comprising a deformable seal body having tie cord openings therethrough, a tie cord extending through said openings so as to form a constrictive bag neck encircling loop structure extending from the inner end of said seal body, and an axially compressible convolute spring sleeve comprising an inner section formed by a plurality of convolutions of minor diameter to abut the seal body and an outer section formed by at least one convolution of major diameter to abut a bag neck and joined to said inner section by an intermediate connecting convolute portion, said inner section providing an inner axial passage through which portions of the tie cord loop structure pass to the seal body, and said outer section defining an outer concentric passage exteriorly ot said inner section through which either portions of the tie loop structure pass, to extend exteriorly of and along said inner section, and thence to and through the seal body.

2. A bag seal comprising a deformable seal body having tie cord openings therethrough, a tie cord extending through said openings so as to form a constrictive bag neck encircling loop structure extending from the inner end of said seal body, and an axially compressible convolute spring sleeve comprising an inner section formed by a plurality of convolutions of minor diameter to abut the seal body and an outer section formed by at least one convolution of major diameter to abut a bag neck and joined to said inner section by an intermediate connecting convolute portion, said connecting convolute portion being disposed to bridge across said outer passage from a point substantially closed against an adjacent inner section convolution to a point closed against said outer section convolution, whereby to obstruct movement of tie cord portions from the inner passage to the outer passage of the spring sleeve and vice versa, said inner section providing an inner axial passage through which portions of the tie cord loop structure pass to the seal body, and said outer section defining an outer concentric passage exteriorly of said inner section through which other portions of the tie loop structure pass, to extend exteriorly of and along said inner section, and thence to and through the seal body.

3. A bag seal comprising a deformable seal body having longitudinally extending outer and inner pairs of tie cord openings, a tie cord having its free end portions extending through said inner openings of the seal body, said tie cord being arranged to provide constrictive bag neck encircling loop portions having connected outer branches i respectively extending through said outer openings of the seal body, and an axially compressible convolute spring sleeve comprising an inner section formed by a plurality of convolutions of minor diameter to abut the seal body and an outer section formed by at least one convolution of major diameter to abut a bag neck and joined to said inner section by an intermediate connecting convolute portion, said inner section providing an inner axial passage through which free end portions of the tie cord pass from the loop portions through the inner openings of the seal body, and said outer section defining an outer concentric passage exteriorly of said inner section through which said outer branches of the tie cord loop portions pass, to extend exteriorly of and along said inner section, and thence to and through the outer openings of the seal body.

4. A bag seal comprising a deformable seal body having longitudinally extending outer and inner pairs of tie cord openings, a tie cord having its free end portions extending through said inner openings of the seal body,

said tie cord being arranged to provide constrictive bag neck encircling loop portions having connected outer branches respectively, extending through said outer openings of the seal body from one to the other thereof, and an axially cornpressible convolute spring sleeve comprising an inner section formed by a plurality of convolutions of minor diameter to abut the seal body and an outer section formed by at least one convolution of major diameter to abut a bag neck and joined to said inner section by an intermediate connecting convolute portion, said inner section providing an inner axial passage through which free end portions of the tie cord pass from the loop portions through the inner openings of the seal body, and said outer section defining an outer concentric passage exteriorly of said inner section through which said outer branches of the tie cord loop portions pass, to extend exteriorly of and along said inner section, and thence to and through the outer openings of the seal body, said connecting convolute portion being disposed to bridge across said outer passage from a point substantially closed against an adjacent inner section convolution to a point closed against said outer section convolution, whereby lo obstruct movement of tie cord portions from the inner passage to the outer passage, and from the outer passage to the inner passage of the spring sleeve.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,140,777 Wenk Dec. 20, 1938 

